Prologue
by Raven Volcruse
Summary: A new term had just started in Hogwarts and everyone is excited to start the new year. Some were happy, some were disappointed with the houses they're in.


Chapter 1: Prologue  
  
The environment in the Hall was extremely tense. The only sound visible to the ear was the sound of the thousands of the floating candles burning above at the ceiling. Everyone had his or her eyes fixed on the Sorting Hat.  
  
Ashalah Weyland was the last girl to be sorted, or about to be sorted – that is. She was crossing her fingers and biting her lips, waiting for an answer from the Sorting Hat.  
  
After what that seems like an hour, the Sorting Hat finally gave an answer. "Ravenclaw!" the Sorting Hat shouted.  
  
A loud applause and cheering came over from the Ravenclaw table. Ashalah Weyland walked towards the Ravenclaw table, still trembling – yet relieved that she was sorted into the house of her choice.  
  
Headmaster Williams got to his feet and gave his usual welcome speech, as he beamed at his new students. After that, he said four 'magic' words: nitwit, blubber, oddment and tweak.  
  
As soon as he began to sit down, the empty golden plates and goblets were filled with appetizing foods. There were sweet, juicy turkeys and honey- roasted ham. Deserts of all kinds and colours from both the Wizarding and Muggle World were there too. The new students seemed overwhelmed at the sight, but soon they started gobbling down their food.  
  
The students talk to each other, and not only did they get to know their housemates, they even get acquainted with the resident ghosts of their respective towers.  
  
After an hour or so, the Headmaster clapped his hands and all the food from the table disappeared. Some groaned, as the food their were eating suddenly disappears. Professor Firestone, the Deputy Headmistress, rose to her feet, prepared to say something.  
  
"I would like to remind all of you of the basic school rules," Professor Firestone said with a strict and serious expression on her face. "Firstly, no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Secondly, all students are forbidden from the forest grounds. That is all, thank you."  
  
Right after Professor Firestone, the Headmaster stood up. "And now, before all of you go off to bed, let us sing the school song."  
  
The Headmaster flicked his wand and the school bellowed.  
  
'Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, Teach us something please, Whether we be old and bald Or young with scabby knees, Our heads could do with filling, With some interesting stuff, For now they're bare and full of air, Dead flies and bits of fluff, So teach us things worth knowing, Bring back what we've forgot, Just do your best, we'll do the rest, And learn until our brains rot.'  
  
Everyone finished at their own sweet time, and to tell you the truth, the song was badly sung, but the Headmaster seems to think that it was good music.  
  
"Ah, beautiful music," he said. "A far powerful magic... Now, off you trot to bed!"  
  
Rising slowly from her seat, Erie Maxwell widened her eyes and attempted to stifle an oncoming yawn. It had been an exciting day so far, from the moment she bid her family adieu, to the train ride which fit surprisingly well with the absurd platform she had boarded it at, to the marvelous dinner/show of magic. She -had- spent an uncomfortably terrified quarter hour pondering over the rumors she had overheard on the train about the Sorting ceremony and its outcomes; it had taken her a full fifteen seconds to comprehend that she had somehow secured a placement in the apparently attractive house of Gryffindor and she had practically tripped over her own feet scampering towards her table, a situation that would have sent her etiquette tutor into angry hysterics had she known of it. However, that was over now and as Erie fell into step behind the prefects her  
  
head was far too full of the potential for adventure that a new school always provided to worry about what a mess she had made of her first impression on the school.  
  
Katherine looked around at her fellow Gryffindors; her new `family' as the headmaster had explained earlier. She bit her lip in order not to smile and end up looking like an idiot. Her heart made a leap and suddenly she felt full of life and it was like new fire lit inside of her. A whole new world of possibilities would be opened  
  
for her at Hogwarts. She'd already taken her first step and made a major decision in her life, without her mother whispering instructions in her ear. If she could change their plans of her being sorted into Slytherin, who knew what else she would be able to  
  
do.  
  
Katherine smiled fully now as she watched the prefects giving instructions as they walked up the steps. Hogwarts was not going to be so bad after all...  
  
Ashalah lay in her new bed; thinking for the entire world like this was some kind of wonderful dream. She hadn't been sure of returning to England after being in India for so many years, but the minute her feet touched the earth of her mother country, she nearly wept as years of homesickness caught up with her. She would spent the months before term seeing every stone circle and barrow her parents could find, and now, tired and happy, she drifted off to sleep, hoping that tomorrow she might finally meet George (or any of the Weasleys), as she had only had his words on paper as company for so long. She turned over and snuggled into the blankets.  
  
"Good night George," she whispered into the darkness, and closed her eyes.  
  
Over at the Slytherin Common Room, there was a wild party going on. Everyone was doing anything they want and like, and no one seems to care how much noise they had made.  
  
The Slytherins' were happy to be together. The usual jokers, Dean and Mark, were displaying their party pranks on their unsuspecting housemates. Jean and Lily were excitedly talking about school, and the others were talking planning the things they were going to do the next day.  
  
All of a sudden, the door to the common room burst open. Everyone was shocked. It was Professor Lydic, Head of the Slytherin House.  
  
"Now, what are all of you doing up late in the night, out of you beds, making a lot of noises?" she said. Her serious voice was enough to send chills down everyone's spine.  
  
Immediately, everyone started packing up and jumped into their four-poster beds. Terri and her girlfriends pretended to sleep until Professor Lydic left the Slytherin Common Room. She had no idea what was going on over at the boy's dormitory, but she had a feeling they were having a good time laughing funny jokes.  
  
Some of the girls went back down to the common room, and some decided to sleep. Terri preferred to stay in the dormitory. She tossed and turned a number of times, but could not sleep. There was only one thing on her mind: Quidditch.  
  
"Why are you still studying?" asked Cho Chang.  
  
"Well, unlike you people, I have targets for myself," Nicole said as she continued reading her book. She was chanting the exact sentences on the book, trying to remember everything she read. She sighed and wiped her sweat. She had Defence Against Dark Arts tomorrow (her first lesson as she does not take other subjects) and she still could not remember the facts, wand movements and much more.  
  
"Chill out," Cho persuaded. "If you were going to force yourself to study, especially in the middle of the night, you'll never be able to get anything in your head. Sleep is essential."  
  
"Right," Nicole murmured as she slammed her book shut.  
  
Cho, who saw how pissed off Nicole was, tried to bring up a subject to cheer Nicole up. "There a kind of a lot of cute guys here in Hogwarts right?"  
  
"Yeah," Nicole said. "I think so."  
  
"Come on!" Cho replied. "Don't tell me you did not look out for any just now..."  
  
"Well, I didn't," Nicole replied. "But, I'll be sure to fish one out tomorrow."  
  
Just then, there was a sound of the Ravenclaw Common Room door opening. The girls knew what that meant. They immediately switched off the lights and jumped into bed. It was Professor Firestone, Head of Ravenclaw House, making her rounds to ensure that her students were asleep.  
  
Nicole shut her eyes and was excited... Excited to start a new day, to make new friends, and – to meet new boys...  
  
Maya Julian was tucked comfortably in her four-poster bed. She was feeling extremely nervous, scared from her own, dark thoughts. For many past generations, her parents, grandparents, in fact the whole generation before her had been sorted into Slytherin. But her, what did she get sorted into??  
  
Maya could not bear to think of what her family would say. Was she that stupid that the Sorting Hat had to sort her into Hufflepuff? Or was she too loyal? Maya was puzzled.  
  
Then, Maya heard a sound of the Hufflepuff Common Room door opening and closing, and the sound of footsteps. Out of curiousity, Maya went out of her dormitory to investigate. To her surprise, she bummed into Professor Tweanley, the Head of Hufflepuff House.  
  
"What are you doing out here?" Professor Tweanley said as she picked herself off the gorund. "You should be in bed, asleep."  
  
"Sorry Professor. I was in bed when I heard some noises, and came down here to investigate," Maya explained.  
  
"Alright," Professor Tweanley replied. "Now child, I can read you mind clearly. Something is troubling you. It is because you are sorted into Hufflepuff is it not?"  
  
"Yes Professor," said Maya with half of her feeling sad, and the other half feeling amazed at how excellent Professor Tweanley was in Divination.  
  
"Being sorted into Hufflepuff doesn't mean you are not good," explained Professor Tweanley. "The Sorting Hat looks out for certain qualities in every student. Gryffindors have bravery, Ravenclaws are clever, Slytherins are sly and have a quick wit. And you, my child, are sorted into Hufflepuff. Hufflepuffs are loyal to their friends, and that was what the Sorting Hat sees in you."  
  
"Thank you Professor," Maya said as she made her way back to the dormitory. Professor Tweanley had helped her build up her confidence, although Maya still was not sure if she could answer her parents.  
  
#####  
  
Adrianna Hentsly pulled her long brown hair into a bun as best she could. She looked over at the small device her mother had given her to wake her up. It was this size of her thumb, but gave out just enough sound to wake her up. She put the alarm on the small bedside table she had. Her fairy jewelry was in the respective places in her jewelry box. Her bright pink eyes caught the light as she close the jewelry box, which gave out a very bright light. She sighed heavily to herself. She had made it into Ravenclaw, and hoped that she could find some accepting wizards and witches to be friends with her. She had trouble making friends sometimes because she was half fairy. She smiled to herself and all the wonderful things she would be learning. Her books were neatly organized on top of her trunk and her bag was filled with the books she needed for the next day. She snuggled herself into her four-poster bead and let her unconscious take her back to her homeland of New Zealand.  
  
####  
  
Carmen snuggled closely to her cat that was purring contentedly on the pillow next to her head. It was very late at night but she was still wide- awake, thinking about the day that had just occurred. When she got on the train, she knew that this school  
  
would be different from all of the rest. The Spanish school she had gone to was the one she knew the best; therefore, it was the one she liked the most. She had signed up for many "difficult" classes, some people on the train had told her as such. She wasn't afraid, however. Her mind began to wander through the events of the day and, before she could stop herself, she was dead to the world. 


End file.
